# CVE-2018-5439: Command injection in Nortek Linear eMerge E3 Series

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on Nortek Linear eMerge E3 access control systems.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Feb 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fwrg-m5rp-3q8j

## What is CVE-2018-5439?

CVE-2018-5439 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Nortek Linear eMerge E3 Series, published on 19 Feb 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A Command Injection issue was discovered in Nortek Linear eMerge E3 series Versions V0.32-07e and prior. A remote attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code on a target machine with elevated privileges.

Weakness: CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-5439?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nortekcontrol Emerge E3 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-5439?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-5439 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-5439 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-5439 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nortek Linear eMerge E3 Series

- [CVE-2022-31499](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31499/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-31269](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31269/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2022-31798](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31798/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-5439 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-5439 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Nortek Linear eMerge E3 Series, published on 19 Feb 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-5439 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Nortek Linear eMerge E3 Series. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5439/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5439/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-5439
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-5439
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-5439

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5439/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.